Fabric and method of making the same



Oct. 17, 1933. A. L. HELWITH FABRIC AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME FiledApril 11, 1933 f VENT R ATTORNEY r Patented Oct. 17, 1933 PATENT OFFICEQ 1.9a1,o23 v FABRIC AND METHOD or" MAKING THE Alfred 1.. neiwmLarchmont, N. y. Application April 11, 1933. Serial No. 665,526

' v 9 Claims. (01. 139-426) This invention relates to textile fabricsandmethods of making the same.

One object of the invention is to provide a textile fabric of uniformcolor having improved means for producing an optical rib, tension rep,

or ben galine effect thereon,- which effect shall be mainly visual, thefabric having a smooth ribless surface and being preferably ofrelatively uniform or conventional weave.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved methodfor producing a textile fabric as above referred to.

Other objectsof the invention andadvantases' thereof will becomeapparent as the specification proceeds.

Withthe aforesaid objects in view, the invention consists in the novelcombinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described in theirpreferred embodiments, pointed out in the subjoined claims, andillustrated on the annexed drawing, wherein like parts are designated bythe same reference characters throughout the several views.-

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a considerably magninedplan view of a section of a textilefabric embodying the,

invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of a section of the textile fabricshowing the normal appearance thereof.

Fig. 3 is a magnified plan view of a section of a textile fabric showinga modification ofthe invention.

The advantages of the invention as here outlined are best realized whenall of its features and instrumentalities are combined in one and thesame structure, but, useful devices may be produced embodying less thanthe whole.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which thisinventionappertains, that the same may be incorporated inseveraldiiferent constructions. The accompanying drawing, therefore, is

submitted merely as showing the preferred exemplification of theinvention.

Referring in detail to the drawing,- 10 denotes a section of a textilefabric embodying the invention. The same may be constructed of asuitable weave and is of uniform color, and "has a surface that issmooth in the sense that it is free of any mechanical ribs such as maybe produced by a special weave. Nevertheless, the fabric ischaracterized by a rib appearance as shown at 11, whereby the value ofthe fabric is enhanced. This rib appearance which is purely optical innature as hereinafter more particularly described, isperfectlyuniformand neat, and. may extend either across the warp 12 orthe weft 13, according to the construction'of the fabric, but ispreferably arranged to extend transversely of the warp, and will be soreferred to hereinafter, in describing an illustrative embodiment of theinvention.

thelusterless yarns which have a flat appearance.

The weft or filling yarns may or may not'have lustre, as desired, butthe most pronouncedetfect is produced by using a lusterless weft. Thewarp and weft yarns are of the same color and may consist of thissamematerial, and at least the i yarns consist of one material, wherebythe texture, softness, and appearance of the material are improved, andtheir adaptability for'inexpensive manufacture into a fabric enhanced.

They are preferably also of the same weight and character, and may ormay not have twist.

It will be noted that according to my invention, "the ribbed efl'ect 11extends transversely of the lustrous andlusterless yarns, and asin thiscase,

crosswise of the warp. The reason for this is difllcult to perceive,although it is noted that the rib effect is apparently caused by thedifference in light reflection between the-lustrous and lusterless warpyarns, or by an'interpla-y between the light effects of these yarns, andhenc'eisdenominated an optical ribbed effect.

For the purpose of more specifically indicating an embodiment .of theinvention to which the same is particularly adapted, I have devised'thisinvention for especial application to rayon fabrics or other fabricsmadeof a composition material. The yarns of such fabrics are plain anduntwisted,

and the warp yarns l2a may'be lustrous while thewarp yarns 12bmay belusterless or delusterized in any well known manner. Similarly,

the weft yarns mayipreferably be lusterless, and

the warp and weft yarns may beprecisel y the same in color. It'will beparticularly noted that since the yarns of which rayon is produced aresubstantially wholly free of twist, suchch'aracteristic could not in anyway be utilized 'to produce a rib effect.

It may be noted that rayon yam usually possesses a twist of between 2 to5times per inch. This twist however, is tooslight to have any effect, onthe appearance of the fabric, aswill be perceived bycomparison with anymoderately twisted cotton yarn, whose twistsrange between 18 and 25times per inch. Consequently-rayon yarn may for the purposes of thisinventionbe regarded as freeof twist, unless otherwise stated, althoughthere are special rayon yarnswhich' are free of any twistwhatever. I

It will be notedthat the optical ribbed; effect in a smooth. unicolortextile fabric is produced by reason. of-arranglng the lustrousand'lusterless yarns not only in alternation but in consecutivealternation; in other words, the order of the lustrous and lusterlessyarns in a one to one ratio. If any larger ratio is used, as, forexample, a two to two ratio the optical ribbed effect becomes,indistinct, so that such would not fulfill the objects of the invention.

The invention may also be embodied in a cotton fabric wherein the warpyarn 12a would indicate a mercerized cotton yarn, and the warp yarn 12b,and preferably also the weft yarn, an unmercerized or plain cotton yarn.The mercerized yarn may be of single or double ply, and I have foundthat in order to obtain a pronounced optical ribeffect according to theprinciple above disclosed, the mercerized cotton yarn must be doubleply. Such double ply yarn may be twisted in the conventional manner. Theweft yarn may be single or double'ply,'the former being sufficient. Theoptical ribbed effect, however, is caused wholly by the fact that themercerized and unmercerized yarns are lustrous and lusterless,respectively.

Another possible embodiment of this invention is to produce a fabric 10having yarns 13 and 12b of cotton, and yarns 12a of cotton impregnatedor coated with any material such as a cellulose material, as, forinstance, that of which rayon is made, in order toimpart a luster tosuch yarn.

In Fig. 3 is shown a modified smooth unicolored fabric 14, such as.rayon, having weft yarns 15,

' and warp yarns 16, 17. All of these yarns may havethe same luster orlack of luster, the warp .yarns 17 being twisted and the warp yarns '16being untwisted or plain straight yarns. 'The yarns 1 6 and 1'7 arearranged in consecutive alternation. The weight and spacing of all theyarns 15, 16, and 17 may be of a suitable nature;

This textile fabric affords a ribbed effect 11 as shown in Fig. 2,transversely of the wa ihbut this ribbed effect is much less pronouncedthan that of the fabric .10. Another advantage of the fabric 10 overthe. fabric 14 is that the latter is considerably more expensive thanthe fabric 10 because the rayon yarns '17 must be twisted, where-" asthey are produced in plain untwisted form.

. However, the optical ribbed effect may be markedly accentuated bymaking one of the yarns 16, 1'1 lustrous and the other lusterless.

The method of weaving the fabric may be a conventional one, thedistinguishing feature of the invention being the step of arranging oflustrous and lusterless yarns in consecutive al-.

ternation. 7

Heretofore it has been known to produce ribbed and stripe effects byusing twisted yarns variously .arranged. In this invention'the elementof twist'is not utilized, but a fabric, such as a rayon fabric, isprovided with an optical ribbed effect transversely of the warp byemploying merely alternately consecutive lustrous I and lusterless warpyarns.

' It will be appreciated that various changes and modifications may bemade in thedevice as shown the warp being of a uniform material andvweight, the weft yarns being lusterless, and the warp having lustrousand lusterless yams substantially free of twist and arranged inalternate single succession for producing said optical ribbed effecttransversely of the warp.

2. A rayon textile fabric having an optical ribbed effect having itsopposite surfaces smooth so as to be free of ribs and having a warp anda weft consisting of unicolored yarns of substantially the same uniformmaterial and weight,

the warp consisting of parallel lustrous and lusterless yarnssubstantially free of twist and arranged in alternate single'succession.throughout the fabric to cause an action of light producing the opticalribbed appearance.

3. A regularly woven textile fabric having a warp and a weft, the warpconsisting of parallel alternate singly successive yarns of lustrous andlusterless yarn, said fabric and the warp and weft yarns beingof'uni'form color and substantially free of twist, and said yarns beingsubstantially the same weight and appearance, and the fabric beingcharacterized by an optical ribbed effect produced by the lustrous andlusterless yarns thereof.

. 4. A textile fabric of a single color, characterized by an opticalribbed effect, and having a warp and a weft relatively evenly woven sothat the fabric has smooth surfaces, said'warp and weft being of uniformcolor and character, said weft consisting of lusterless yarns and saidwarp having alternate successive lustrous and lusterlar weave.

6. An optically ribbed textile fabric having smooth unicolor surfacesand having parallel lustrous and lusterless unicolored yarns of uniformcharacterarranged in single succession to produce the optical ribbedeffect, and said fabric having other lusterless yarns of the same natureas the first mentioned yarns, interwoven with the latter and extendingat 9. angle thereto, whereby said optical ribbed effect is emphasized.

7. An optically ribbed textile rayon fabric having a warp and a weft,said warp consisting of parallel alternate lustrous and lusterlessy'arns in single succession and of uniform color for producing theoptical ribbed effect transversely of the fabric, said warp and weftyarns being of the same weight and material.

8. A unicolored smooth textile rayon. fabric having an optical, ribbedeffect and consisting of yarnsof uniform color and free of twist, saidfabric having a wait and a warp, the latter con- ..sisting of'parallellustrous and lusterless yarns in alternate consecutive arrangement andbeing of the same weight, and said fabric having a regular weave. 1

9. A regularly woven optically ribbed textile fabric having a warpconsisting of parallel lustrous and lusterless unicolored yarns disposedin alternate single succession continuously throughout the fabric, saidfabric having warp and weft yarns of the same color and appearance intexture.

ALFRED L. 'HELWITH.

